Building Tomorrow on Trust: Creating Psychological Safety in Future-Focused Organizations

by Sinead Slattery

In times of unprecedented change—when AI reshapes industries overnight and uncertainty has become the only constant—leaders face a critical question: How do we build organizations that can adapt, innovate, and thrive when the future is unknowable?

The answer lies not in having all the answers, but in creating environments where people feel safe enough to navigate uncertainty together.

The Science Is Clear: Psychological Safety Drives Performance

Harvard Business School Professor Amy C. Edmondson coined the term "team psychological safety" in the 1990s to describe work environments where candor is expected and where employees can speak up without fear of retribution. Her research defined it as a shared belief held by team members that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking, finding that learning behavior mediates between team psychological safety and team performance.

The evidence is compelling. Google's Project Aristotle, which analyzed over 180 teams, found that psychological safety was correlated with 43% of the variance in team performance, with teams showing 19% higher productivity, 31% more innovation, and 27% lower turnover rates. McKinsey research shows that psychological safety is consistently one of the strongest predictors of team performance, productivity, quality, safety, creativity, and innovation.

Yet in a McKinsey Global Survey conducted during the pandemic, just 43 percent of respondents reported a positive team climate, the most important driver of psychological safety. The gap between knowing and doing remains vast.

The Leader's Obligation: Three Essential Practices

Creating psychological safety isn't a nice-to-have—it's the leader's fundamental obligation in a future-focused organization. The framework is deceptively simple, but requires rigorous practice.

1. Set the Stage

Before anything else, leaders must frame the work in ways that invite full engagement.

Frame the "What": Be crystal clear about what you're asking people to do. "We need to continue executing at a high level. This is going to be really hard and we need all of you on board." Clarity is kindness, as Brené Brown reminds us. 

Articulate the "Why": Connect the work to a noble purpose beyond profit. "If you do X, it will result in Y for our customers." People need to know they're serving something larger than themselves. What doesn't work? "We'll make more money." You need to get into the hearts of people, not just their heads.

McKinsey research identifies consultative leadership—where leaders solicit input from team members and consider their views—as having direct effects on psychological safety. But consultation only works when people understand what they're being consulted about and why it matters.

2. Invite Participation

Silence in meetings doesn't mean agreement—it means fear. McKinsey research on leadership behaviors found that open-dialogue skills, which allow leaders to explore disagreements and talk through tension, and sponsorship—enabling others' success ahead of one's own—are among the most important for fostering psychological safety.

Practice Situational Humility: Use phrases that signal you genuinely need others' perspectives:

• "I can't do this on my own"

• "We've tried this in the past, and I need you all on board"

• "I need your perspective on this"

Research by Chris Argyris teaches us that advocacy blurs inquiry. When leaders rush to share their own views, they shut down exploration. Delay your advocacy. Ask questions first—and make them genuine questions where you'll actually learn something new.

Create Process and Structure: Don't just ask for input—design for it. Assign rotating roles. "Your job in this meeting is to be the devil's advocate and pressure-test all ideas." But be careful: our job as leaders is not to get quick compliance, it's to invite genuine thinking.

One caveat: going around the room to hear everyone's point of view is rarely effective. It creates performative participation, not genuine dialogue. Instead, mention people by name when you need their specific expertise. Research shows that mentioning someone's name in a meeting significantly increases their participation.

3. Respond Productively

How you respond to participation determines whether people will ever speak up again.

Express Genuine Appreciation: Not participation trophies—real gratitude for the courage it takes to share. "Thank you for bringing that up. That's exactly what we need to be talking about."

Reframe Failure as Learning: Amy Edmondson's framework in "Right Kind of Wrong" distinguishes between three archetypes of failure: basic failures that should be prevented, complex failures caused by multiple factors, and intelligent failures that occur in new territory with a hypothesis and bring valuable new knowledge.

Intelligent failures meet four criteria: they happen in new territory where there's genuine uncertainty, they pursue a desired goal, they're hypothesis-driven with good reason to think the approach might work, and they're appropriately small to minimize risk.

When someone on your team tries something bold and it doesn't work, your response determines your team's future. Ask yourself: Is this a "new beep" or an "old beep"? If we're repeatedly learning the same thing, we need process improvement, not blame. If it's genuinely new learning, celebrate it.

Sanction Bad Behavior Swiftly: Psychological safety is not "anything goes." Eye rolls, side conversations, dismissive comments—these poison the well. Leaders who demonstrate supportive leadership show concern for team members not only as employees but also as individuals, creating positive team climate. Part of that support means protecting people from toxic behavior.

Only the leader can sanction behavior. Do it privately when possible, but do it. Ignored problems get bigger.

The AI Era Demands Psychological Safety

Anyone who claims to know exactly what will happen with AI is overconfident. Their circle of certainty is outside their square of actual knowledge.

In this moment, we have a choice: stay up late worrying, or double down on developing our people. Recent research shows that psychological safety provides a powerful organizational salve for stressful times, with practices such as being open about not knowing and rewarding people for taking interpersonal risks providing a foundation for doing the hard things necessary when crisis hits.

Make Development Sacred: At least one 1:1 conversation per month should be entirely about development, not projects or deliverables. In uncertain times, the best preparation for any future is rigorous thinking, critical analysis, and the ability to learn rapidly.

Acknowledge the Anxiety: If people have anxiety about AI, disruption, or change and don't talk about it, they don't metabolize it—and it becomes unproductive worry. Create space to discuss what's on people's minds. Over-emphasize development in times of uncertainty.

Practical Tools for Daily Practice

Calling Out Bad Behavior in the Moment: This takes skill. Generally, handle bad behavior later, in private. But if you must address something in the moment, try:

• A do-over: "I'm so sorry, will you say that again, and if you could think about everyone in the room as you say it?"

• Named awareness: "When I think about this again tonight, here's the part that will be hard to metabolize."

Then follow up privately: "That was a heated moment. In long form, what were you trying to communicate? What are short-form ways to communicate that to a diverse audience?"

Step in Front of Blame, Step Aside from Credit: As a leader, absorb the awkward moments so your team doesn't have to. When things go well, shine the light on others. This isn't just noble—it's strategic. Research shows that increasing psychological safety helps employees feel less burnt out and more likely to stay, even when facing difficult circumstances.

Team Process Resets

When teams struggle, resist the urge to bulldoze forward. Instead:

1. Honor the past blame-free: Mine the past for awesomeness, not just failures. Apply situational humility: "We're figuring this out together."

2. Co-create the path forward: Don't default to "my way or the highway." Develop a compact: What do you need from me? What do I need from you? What do we all need from each other?

3. Metabolize scar tissue, but don't dwell: Talking about past hurts helps people move forward, but it can't be the only conversation.

The Bottom Line

McKinsey research found that employees who report their organizations invest substantially in leadership development are 64 percent more likely to rate senior leaders as more inclusive. Creating psychological safety isn't magic—it's a learnable skill set that requires investment, practice, and commitment.

As Edmondson and Kerrissey note in their 2025 Harvard Business Review article, psychological safety doesn't mean being nice, doesn't mean getting your way, doesn't mean job security, doesn't require a trade-off with performance, isn't just a policy, and doesn't require only a top-down approach. It means creating environments where people can do their best work by speaking truth, taking smart risks, and learning together.

In future-focused organizations, psychological safety isn't the soft stuff that gets in the way of performance—it's the foundation that makes extraordinary performance possible. The question isn't whether you can afford to invest in it. It's whether you can afford not to.

As we navigate an unknowable future, remember: vulnerability is a fact. Each of us is a fallible human being working in a complex world. The wisdom question is simple: Are you okay with that? If you are, you'll show up differently—as someone not trying to be perfect, but willing to deal with the reality of our shared vulnerability.

That's where the future gets built.

References

1. Edmondson, A. C. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350-383.

2. Edmondson, A. C. (2023). Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well. Atria Books.

3. Edmondson, A. C., & Kerrissey, M. (2025). Psychological Safety Isn't a Free-for-All. Harvard Business Review.

4. Duhigg, C. (2016). What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team. The New York Times Magazine.

5. De Smet, A., Lund, S., & Schaninger, W. (2016). Organizing for the future. McKinsey Quarterly.

6. Delizonna, L. (2017). High-Performing Teams Need Psychological Safety. Here's How to Create It. Harvard Business Review.

7. Smet, A., Hewes, S., & Weiss, L. (2021). The link between inclusion and belonging at work and its impact on performance. McKinsey & Company.

8. Argyris, C. (1991). Teaching smart people how to learn. Harvard Business Review, 69(3), 99-109.

9. Brown, B. (2018). Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. Random House.

10. McKinsey & Company. (2022). Psychological safety and the critical role of leadership development.

The Weight They Carry: Why Your Best People Need You Most

by Sinead Slattery

I reflected on something important about leadership during a coaching session with a CEO I'll call Sam.

He'd brought me in because his company was thriving—revenue up, new markets opening, industry recognition rolling in. But something was wrong. "My VP of Operations just resigned," he told me. "Completely blindsided me. He was my rock. I thought he was happy." As we dug deeper, a pattern emerged. Over the past two years, Sam had lost three of his most critical leaders. Not to competitors offering more money, but to burnout, exhaustion, and what one exit interview called "carrying too much for too long."

Sam had been so focused on the impressive structure he was building that he hadn't noticed the cracks forming in the beams holding it all up.

In every organization I've worked with, there are load-bearing people. You know who they are. They're the ones who carry the critical projects, mentor the struggling team members, step up during crises, and somehow keep three departments connected when everything else is falling apart. They're your structural supports, and like my neighbor's porch beam, they can develop cracks long before anyone notices.

The Invisible Fractures

The problem with load-bearing team members is that they're selected for that role precisely because they're strong. They handle pressure well. They don't complain. They deliver. So we pile on more weight, assuming they can take it. And they can, right up until they can't.

The cracks start small. A top performer who used to volunteer for every challenge now stays quiet in meetings. Your most reliable manager starts missing the occasional deadline. The colleague who always had creative solutions suddenly offers only by-the-book approaches. These aren't dramatic collapses. They're hairline fractures, easily missed if you're not looking closely.

But here's what I've learned: by the time you see obvious signs of strain, the damage is already significant. The best time to prevent a structural failure is long before the warning signs become visible to everyone.

The Practice of Proactive Support

The most effective leaders I work with have adopted what I call "structural inspections." These aren't performance reviews or project check-ins. They're dedicated conversations focused entirely on the person, not the work product.

Schedule regular one-on-ones with your load-bearing team members specifically to ask: How are you, really? What's feeling heavy right now? What support do you need that you're not getting? And then, critically, you have to listen without trying to fix, defend, or minimize.

Create genuine outlets for release. This doesn't mean a pizza party or a "we appreciate you" email. It means providing safe spaces where people can acknowledge difficulty without fear of being seen as weak or uncommitted. Sometimes the most powerful thing a leader can say is: "This is genuinely hard, and it makes sense that you're feeling the strain."

What Release Actually Looks Like

When I talk about giving people outlets, leaders often nod and then ask what I mean practically. Here's what works:

Normalize the conversation about capacity. Make it safe to say "I'm at my limit" without it being a career-limiting move or unacceptable in today’s eco-system. Model this yourself by occasionally saying no or acknowledging when you're stretched thin.

Provide actual flexibility, not just lip service. If someone is carrying an enormous load, can they work from home more? Take a Friday afternoon off? Hand off the less critical tasks even if they're "good at them"?

Most importantly, validate the weight. Don't say "I know it's tough, but you're doing great!" Say "I can see how much weight you're carrying, and I want to make sure we're not damaging something important here. What needs to change?"

Before the Cracks Deepen

The math here is straightforward. A proactive conversation costs you an hour. Providing support before someone breaks costs you some scheduling complexity or perhaps a temporary dip in their output. But losing a load-bearing team member—to burnout, resignation, or simply their slow transformation into someone who does the minimum—that costs you everything they were holding up.

The leaders who build lasting, resilient organizations aren't the ones who extract maximum output from their strongest people. They're the ones who regularly inspect the beams, catch the cracks early, and reinforce the supports before anyone has to bear more than they can carry.

Your load-bearing team members are holding up more than you probably realize. The question is: when's the last time you checked in on the weight they're carrying?

Climbing the Ladder: Why Self-Awareness Is the Cornerstone of Human-Centered Leadership

by Sinead Slattery

In today’s complex work environments, leaders are constantly making decisions, interpreting behaviors, and navigating interpersonal dynamics. But how often do we pause to examine how we arrive at our conclusions? The answer lies in a deceptively simple yet profoundly powerful concept: the Ladder of Inference.

Originally developed by organizational psychologist Chris Argyris, the Ladder of Inference illustrates how we move from observing data to taking action—often unconsciously. We select data, interpret it through our personal lens, make assumptions, draw conclusions, and then act. The problem? This mental shortcut can lead us astray, especially when our assumptions go unchecked.

Why Self-Awareness Matters

Self-awareness is not just a buzzword—it’s a leadership imperative. It’s the ability to recognize our own thought patterns, emotional triggers, and biases. When leaders operate without it, they risk misjudging situations, miscommunicating intentions, and eroding trust.

An article from Harvard Business Review emphasizes that climbing down the Ladder of Inference—questioning our assumptions and interpretations—can dramatically improve our leadership effectiveness. It’s about slowing down our thinking to ask:

• What data did I choose to focus on?

• What assumptions am I making?

• What beliefs are shaping my conclusions?

• How might someone else see this differently?

Human-Centered Leadership Starts Within

Human-centered leadership is built on empathy, curiosity, and connection. But these qualities can’t flourish without self-awareness. Leaders who regularly reflect on their thought processes are better equipped to:

• Foster psychological safety by suspending judgment and inviting diverse perspectives.

• Navigate conflict with openness rather than defensiveness.

• Make better decisions by challenging their own mental models.

As a coach, I’ve seen firsthand how transformative this shift can be. When leaders learn to pause, reflect, and question their own ladders, they unlock deeper authenticity and more meaningful relationships.

A Practice, Not a Destination

Building self-awareness is not a one-time event—it’s a daily practice. It requires humility, intentionality, and the courage to look inward. 

Whether you're leading a team, a company, or simply yourself, the journey begins with a single question: What ladder am I climbing right now?

Building a business from scratch is a journey like no other.

by Sinead Slattery

As someone who has coached entrepreneurs and experienced the rollercoaster of creating a business firsthand, I understand the mix of exhilaration and exhaustion that comes with it. It's about the excitement of bringing an idea to life and the weight of carrying it alone until others see the vision.

Starting with just an idea, the process unfolds: building, rebuilding, questioning everything. The journey is filled with highs like landing that first customer, witnessing your product solve real problems, and turning countless "no's" into a resounding "yes." Yet, there are also lows, from cash flow worries to team changes, and moments of self-doubt.

Challenges may seem insurmountable, but they are opportunities for growth. Mindset is key. In my coaching, I urge founders to reflect not just on strategies but on self-awareness. Where are you avoiding discomfort that could spur growth? What assumptions need challenging? Is your current path aligned with your vision of success?

Entrepreneurship demands more than just perseverance; it requires clarity, adaptability, and emotional strength. By being brutally honest with yourself, you strengthen your foundation. If you're in the midst of building something, keep pushing forward. Remember to also nurture the person behind the business—you.

Reflecting on one question can transform your leadership approach. What's a question that reshaped how you lead?

Leading Through Complexity: Why Curiosity Is Your Superpower

by Sinead Slattery

As AI continues to reshape how we work — and as we move closer to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) — leaders are being asked to navigate complexity, risk, and uncertainty like never before. The pace of change is relentless, and the challenges are increasingly nuanced.
In moments of pressure, it’s easy to default to “What now?” — a question that often comes from overwhelm or urgency.

But great leaders reframe. They ask: “What if?”
This shift from reaction to possibility unlocks powerful outcomes:

• New perspectives on entrenched problems

• Opportunities hidden inside disruption

• A learn-it-all mindset that fuels adaptability and growth

Curiosity isn’t just a trait — it’s a strategic advantage. In a world increasingly shaped by algorithms and automation, curiosity keeps us human. It helps leaders stay open, grounded, and agile — especially when the stakes are high. It keeps a focus on self-awareness and our own reactions.
And it thrives in community. Your personal tone will set your organizational tone. When you foster curiosity in yourself and your team, you build resilience and accelerate transformation.

Reflection Prompts for Curious Leaders:

• Where are you defaulting to “What now?” How could you reframe it as “What if…?”

• How is your team using curiosity to navigate change or solve problems?

• What small experiment could you try this month to stretch your thinking?

  Leadership is an evolution. Make curiosity part of your identity and your personal brand — it will shape how you lead through uncertainty and define your next level.